‘It’s time for some common sense’: 2022 runner-up Terry Shortt returns to Prince Edward County mayoral race

Terry Shortt, the runner up in Prince Edward County’s 2022 mayoral race, is running for mayor once again, hoping to bring his experience on council to the municipality’s top spot.

Shortt is a lifetime resident of Prince Edward County, residing in the same house in which he grew up in Sophiasburgh Ward.

“The house that we live in actually sits on the land that was started by my ancestor in 1792,” said Shortt in an interview with Quinteist.

He ran his company, Terry Shortt Electrical Services, for 33 years and sold the company in 2020. Shortt has served four terms on council since 1994.

“I was actually convinced to get into [council],” he shared.

“I was approached by a person who was quite familiar with council, and he kind of convinced me to become a councillor, and from then on, once it gets in your blood, it’s there.”

Shortt has served one term on Sophiasburgh Township council and three terms on the amalgamated County Council. During that time, he spent two years as vice chair of Planning and four years as chair of Planning.

Additionally, he spent nine years as chair of the County Recreation Board, four years as chair of the Community Development Committee, and two years as a council representative on the Fire Master Plan. Shortt currently sits as chair of the Committee of Adjustment.

“Planning was always a passion of mine. It’s an important part of any community, and it affects everything,” said Shortt.

“The Fire Master Plan was one thing that I was heavily involved with. I was a council representative, and in two years we brought forward a plan and it was accepted.”

Shortt shared the major points of his 2026 mayoral platform.

“I want to take a look inside. People, for the last four years, seem to have taken a look outside development, and I think it’s time that we took a look inside, because we’ve got a lot of roads that are falling apart,” he said.

“We’ve got infrastructure we have to handle. We have a huge debt for the population, and that, among other things, is basically why I’m running.”

After gaining the second most amount of votes in the 2022 election, Shortt shared that he’s hoping to clinch the top spot in the election this fall.

“I plan to do what’s necessary to protect our agricultural community and support local businesses. Maintain a moratorium on Airbnbs,” Shortt explained, noting that the latter is important as the County has a number of these establishments functioning under the radar.

“‘[They] need to be brought up to speed. Either brought on board as an actual Airbnb under the municipality, or stopped completely.”

He added that the County also has “a serious lack of daycare facilities,” which needs to be addressed.

“It’s time for some common sense. And that’s what I intend to bring,” Shortt added.

Municipal elections will be held on Monday, Oct. 26, 2026.

For a complete list of mayoral and council candidates, visit Quinteist’s article here.